‘I Am Not A Travel Agent’: Tharoor On Rahul Gandhi’s Reported Foreign Visit Amid Delhi Protests

Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday brushed aside questions on Rahul Gandhi’s reported trip abroad during Opposition protests in Delhi, saying he was “not a travel agent”. The remark came as the BJP sharpened its attack on Gandhi over his purported foreign visit.

The Delhi protests were aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise on electoral rolls. Tharoor’s response followed the BJP’s criticism of Gandhi over what it called an ongoing trip abroad.

Tharoor told reporters in the Keralam capital that he could not say why Gandhi had gone abroad while the Opposition was protesting in the national capital, PTI reported.

“I am not a travel agent. There is no point in asking me that question. Why did I leave Delhi and come here now? Every person has certain responsibilities. So, I cannot comment on that,” Tharoor said.

BJP Criticism Escalates

The BJP widened its attack soon after. The party accused Gandhi of being “tired of spreading lies” after his campaign against Gyanesh Kumar, even as the Opposition said protests had been put on hold for the festive season.

On X, the BJP posted what it said was a video of Gandhi seated in the business-class section of a flight. “I’m tired of spreading lies… Let me go roam around Vietnam for a few days… Who would even find out?” the party wrote.

BJP spokesperson RP Singh accused Gandhi of repeatedly travelling abroad after political campaigns. “After undertaking a yatra in Bihar, he went abroad on a holiday for two months,” Singh said. BJP leader Shazia Ilmi also questioned Gandhi’s commitment, saying he was using the protests as an excuse for another break.

Protests Over SIR

The INDIA bloc has been pressing for Kumar’s resignation, citing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and has staged a series of protests in recent days.

Gandhi was one of the faces of that campaign in Delhi, leading protests and marches as the Opposition increased pressure on the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

He and several other leaders were detained on multiple occasions during the demonstrations.

Congress Response And Timing

Congress leaders rejected the BJP’s criticism as an unnecessary controversy. The Opposition has said all protests are on hold because of the festive season.

“He is merely stepping away for two or three days; what is the problem with that? The INDIA bloc will stage a massive protest against Gyanesh Kumar on November 1st,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told a Malayalam news channel.

Former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit said Gandhi’s foreign visits often involve meetings with students and intellectuals, and questioned why the BJP was making an issue of the trip. Gandhi is expected to be away for four days. The purported trip comes after Gandhi took part in the Congress’s Goa Rakhon Yatra in the poll-bound state.